


Prophecy

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-23
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-08-10 14:00:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7847830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story of how Darko and Lighto came to be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Prophecy

**Author's Note:**

> The mature tag is for childbirth.

Nihili wished that she could pace the length of her cell. She’d seen animals pace when they were close to giving birth. But then again, then were quadrupeds. Bipeds only had the two legs to support them, and those two legs were currently too weak from pain to do anything more than sit there. She screamed at the pain, wishing that there was some magical way to do this. But all of her magic was currently being used to gift her children with powers of their own. She groaned and panted, her back resting against the stone wall that made up the back of her cell.

“You should lie down.” One of the Generals stood outside the force field that made up the front part of her cell. She had her arms crossed over her chest, and was trying not to look at the prisoner. “And take your leggings and underpants off, gosh, don’t you know anything about childbirth?”

“And how would you know?” Nihili snapped at her, and growled. “You were in siren form when you had your kid.”

“I did some research because I actually planned to have my child,” said Katja. “Now stop being a silly bitch and do what I tell you. Take your pants and underwear off and lie down.”

“What are you, a midwife now?” asked Nihili. She did as she was told, though, and did feel somewhat more comfortable when she was on her back. She’d made a mess of her clothes anyway, stained with blood and the messy fluids of birth.

“Good. Now do as I tell you,” said Katja.

The first child came out easily, a son with the red hair of his mother. But the second child felt like he was burning her from the inside. Nihili screamed until he was out, and then collapsed back, panting. Her magic had drained along with her energy, errant sparks still dancing around her. She took her first born into her arms and then slowly wriggled away from the second one, panting.

“Take him away,” said Nihili. “He’s burning me.” Her first-born wailed, clearly also being burned by his brother.

“Okay,” said Katja. She knew that she wouldn’t be burned, having been intimate with a certain other person burning with the holy light of Aideen. She drew a rune on the sparking force field, then reached through the small gap to retrieve the child. Nihili watched her, and relaxed when the burning light was removed.

“Raise him as your own,” said Nihili. She sounded normal for the first time in over a century. Felt normal, too. “You lost your son. Do the right thing with my one. Your nephew. And bring me your sister so she can see her other son.”

“I will. Thank you, Elise,” said Katja. She set the child down for a moment, and then wrapped him in her coat. He was burning, but Katja could stand it. She was hurting more on the inside, anyway. “What will you call that one?”

“Darko,” said Elise. “Just go.”

As Katja walked away, Elise curled onto her side, held her remaining child to her chest, and cried. Aideen could be so cruel.

After leaving Pandoria, Katja found a cave close to a druid settlement and hid there with the child. She put up wards to protect anyone from even coming near the cave, the light blue of her magic reflecting off the tears on her cheeks. And then she returned to the infant and held him while she cried. She was grateful to Elise for giving her this second chance, but the wounds were still too fresh. It had only been a few decades since she’d lost Buck.

When the child started crying for food, Katja got herself under control so she could magically gift herself with the means to feed the child. She started crying again as he fed, but he didn’t seem to be too upset by her crying. 

“I should give you a name,” said Katja as she fed the child one morning. “Your brother is called Darko so you should be Lighto.” The baby didn’t say anything of course, but Katja smiled and kissed the top of his head anyway. He did look a lot like her, even though his hair was curly and he was a true albino. Katja could easily raise him as her own, and she already found herself loving him like he was her own. But she knew what she had to do.

When the child was finally old enough to eat only solid food, Katja took him to the druids. One of them recognised her and let her in, but they all recognised the light within the child she held.

“This is Lighto,” said Katja. “He’s the son of a Dark Rider and the incarnation of Aideen that went wrong. Please take him and raise him as your own.”

“It is as the prophecy foretold,” said Fripp, silencing any protests before they could be voiced. “This dark Aideen was to give birth to two sons, one of pure light and the other of pure evil. There will come a day in the future when these sons will fight, but Lighto will be a boon to us.”

“He’s an albino,” said Katja. “So keep him inside and out of the sun. If he is in the sun, cover him up.”

“Thank you for the warning, and for the boon,” said Fripp. “We are sorry that we could not aid you in this way last time, Katja.”

“Sure you are,” said Katja, and disappeared before she could start crying again in front of them.

But when she did disappear, she went back to a cave and broke down. She felt like her heart was breaking, but at least this child would grow up well. And it did feel good to get an official apology from the Keepers. And really, it hadn’t been their fault. But it still hurt all the same.


End file.
